Retail industry

Strategy for systems sellers: a grid approach

Article Abstract:

High-technology industries having difficulty implementing the concept of system selling should consider a grid approach that identifies the combined system solution knowledge of the buyer and the seller, along with their combined problem expertise (knowledge of the buyer's system problems and needs). This grid approach to analyzing potential buyers should enable systems sales personnel to identify high-potential purchasers (and weed out those less likely to purchase an entire system), to prepare effective sales presentations (based upon potential purchasers' needs), and to develop responses to potential purchasers' reasons for not purchasing an entire system. The grid approach to system selling also assists sales personnel in customizing their sales presentations to fit individual buyer profiles.

The selling firm's negotiation team in rebuys of component parts

Article Abstract:

Industry observers not that of late industrial marketers are making a greater use of 'selling teams' or 'selling centers' to better deal with multiple influences on the buying side. This paper reports the findings from a field study which examined selling center participation in the negotiations involved in a common type of industrial purchase, the rebuy of a component part. The results suggest that the makeup of the selling firm's negotiation team is affected by the importance of the purchase and its riskiness regarding the potential for problems. The managerial implications of the study are discussed, and suggestions are offered for future research on multifunctional involvement in negotiations. (Reprinted by permission of the publisher.)

High tech organizes for the future

Article Abstract:

This practitioner-oriented paper discusses present and future organization of high technology companies. Qualitative research suggests that while traditional organization continues to perform effectively under certain selling strategies, it is not as effective when facing a more complex product-market environment. The discussion includes a detailed example of the emerging organization at 'Marketer of the Year' Digital Equipment Corporation, the second largest computer maker. Potentially, other companies beyond high tech may use similar organization in the future when pursuing a complex selling strategy. (Reprinted by permission of the publisher.)